As The Wind Blows Your Scent To Me

With a helpless sigh that sounded audible in the quiet room, Jun lowered the phone from his ear. His tall figure was listlessly leaning against the cream-colored wall. His eyes were lowered to the floor, staring dazedly at the pristine white marble floor.

The room was filled with only his belongings. A laptop was left open on the desk while a stack of thin files was put in one corner. The bookshelf behind the desk was arranged with different titles of non-fiction books.

After so long, he finally received a call from her but, as to how he had expected, it was not a pleasant one. 

Himari was clearly suppressing her fury when she asked to meet him by today. She didn't talk much about why she wanted them to meet. Aside from deciding the place and time, there was nothing.

But, Jun wasn't an idiot who couldn't guess the source of her wrath.

Even when he did know, he couldn't stop.

He wasn't able to retract himself from the deep yearning for her although it might turn into a dark obsession someday.

"We really have to talk."

"Meet me today."

Those were her words laced with cold rage.

Jun let out a laugh, ridiculing himself. 

"Why must it be easy for you to forget our days together before, en?"

Only the sound of his voice echoed in the room. Jun slowly lifted up his hand, rubbed his face and walked out of the room. He walked past the hallway before he reached another room.

Jun knocked on the door twice then got inside once a voice sounded from behind the door.

A woman in her early 30s sat behind the same working desk inside Jun's personal office. With a pair of rimless spectacles hang over her nose bridge, her eyes fell on the tall and young man.

"Mr. Fujihara, may I help you?" The woman asked. She stopped browsing the scientific article that was displayed on her laptop screen.

"I have an important matter this evening. Can you please replace me for my class?" Jun asked straightforwardly.

He only had one class today scheduled at five o'clock. The rest of his time today was free.

The woman blinked, looked at the planner on her desk and nodded without asking much.

"Sure. Just leave it to me," she answered firmly.

Jun smiled, "Thank you, Ms. Asaki."

The lecturer named Ms. Asaki just smiled before she watched the young lecturer immediately left.

Both of them were in the same department. Although the new lecturer was younger by a few years from her, Ms. Asaki's impression of him was good. She often heard the young ladies on the campus talking about the good-looking lecturer who had just returned from abroad.

A soft hum echoed faintly in the room as the female lecturer continued doing her task.

Jun immediately went back to Sakuya Residence. 

The meetup would be held at five o'clock at a restaurant. Jun suggested booking a private room for them to talk properly. When Himari agreed, he felt so relieved because, in his mind, she was still willing to be alone with him.

What kept on repeating in Jun's mind now was the efforts he had to show tonight to Himari. As long as he could soft a little part of her heart, it was already good as the beginning.

What would come next was the slow yet gradual domination of her feelings for him again.

Time continued ticking and a few hours had passed yet Jun was eagerly waiting for the time of their appointment.

While Jun was stubbornly instilling the same kind of thoughts in his mind, in another part of the city, Himari was perplexed once she heard Kazuya's suggestion.

"Going to your home?" She blankly looked at the man standing opposite her.

Kazuya came to pick up the siblings at three o'clock as usual. Both of them met outside the gate while waiting for Izumi to bring Chiharu to where the man parked the car.

The students walked out of the main gate, walking to where their parents or guardians were waiting for them. The sound of them chatting happily before parting with their friends resonated in the air.

The couple was standing a few tens meters away from the main gate. A mass of dense leaves swayed above their heads as the breeze blew gently past them, echoing a rattling sound.

Her dazed look made Kazuya laughed faintly. He nodded indicating that he was being serious.

"The restaurant that you chose to meet him at is nearby my neighborhood. I can drop the kids off at home and since the appointed time is at five, you can rest for a bit first. Well, consider it like your first time visiting your boyfriend's abode."

Kazuya said the last sentence with a smirk hanging on his lips.

Himari thought it was plausible. Although the suggestion came so suddenly, if she rejected his proposal, he had to make a detour if he wanted to bring her to the restaurant later.

And, the suggestion was quite tempting.

Himari kept the thought of getting a cab and meeting Kazuya there inside her mind.

She was suddenly curious about the home of these three that she had never seen.

"Okay," Himari agreed. She jokingly said to him, "I have to see for myself the place where my boyfriend lives. You have even come inside my apartment many times already."

Kazuya laughed as he heard her excuses, "Hahaha, this could serve as two actually. First, visiting your man's home while another, early home visitation for your student."

Himari's cheeks tinged with a blush when Kazuya easily claimed himself as her man. She coughed, darted her eyes away from him and replied, "Okay, then. I have nothing to lose about it. It's just visiting your home."

Kazuya put up a grin as Himari sounded as if she would enter a battlefield. Before his mind could react, he raised up a hand and softly stroked her head under his palm. 

So soft, the thought drifted in his mind.

And, once again Himari revealed a dazed look on her face as she blankly staring at him who was gently rubbing her head.

At once, the air around them seemed to mellow, cocooning both of them inside a calm and sweet ambiance. The shadows under their feet melted together, forming a bond.

Tap! Tap! Tap!

"Teacher Kato! Uncle! Chiharu's here~"

"Chiharu! Don't run again!"

"...!"

Himari quickly took a step back while Kazuya could still be looking so relax at the sudden interference by the siblings. He forced his laughter from making a sound as he found her flustered look funny. 

Himari secretly threw him a glare. She ignored the man and looked in the direction of the two children.

Despite Izumi's warning, the little dumpling was still running to them. She pounced on Himari's legs instead of Kazuya like how she often did before.

"Chiharu, didn't your brother and uncle always tell you to not run?" Himari bent down and brushed the little girl's bangs, revealing her round forehead, "You have fallen down before, didn't you?"

"Hehehe~ Chiharu is so happy oh to see Teacher Kato," The dumpling answered cleverly, "So happy, hehehe~"

Himari broke into a cold sweat.

Why did she feel like this sweet little dumpling was being too fond of her as of late?

Kazuya felt funny to see how both of the ladies, small and big, interacted.

As their uncle, it didn't escape Kazuya's notice that the siblings were actually paying more attention to him and Himari. He guessed that the siblings especially Izumi had already predicted the new relationship between him and Himari.

Izumi might still be young but, his mind was still sharp as he tended to observe his surroundings.

The problem was, his young lady thought the siblings didn't know.

"Alright, enough, Chiharu. Let's go now. You can show Teacher Kato your room later," Kazuya opened the door of the back seat.

Izumi silently got inside the car while Chiharu was dumbstruck by her uncle's words.

"What? What? Show Chiharu's room to Teacher Kato?" Her round eyes blinked a few times, looking both at Himari and Kazuya.

Kazuya laughed. He reached out a hand and messed with Chiharu's twin pigtails, "We're going to bring Teacher Kato to our home. She would like to see your toys inside your room."

"What? Yayyy!" Chiharu suddenly jumped, startling Himari. The dumpling showed her white teeth as she continued shouting, "Go home! Go home! Go home now!"

"Yeah, yeah," Kazuya smiled helplessly, "All of us will go home."

He picked the chubby dumpling up, put her on the child's car seat and strapped Chiharu's small body with the seatbelt. After Kazuya was done, he glanced at Himari.

"Let's go now," His eyes were gentle as her face reflected on his dark orbs, "Go home."

"...Okay," Himari nodded.

Himari opened the door at the passenger seat, sat inside and closed the door. Kazuya did the same to the door on Chiharu's side before he rounded the car and sat behind the wheels.

The sunlight spilled on the roof as the dark gray car slowly moved away from the school. The floating clouds roamed in the sky, occasionally hiding the sun before the giant ball of light was revealed again.